Starting November 28, CREATION Gallery G8 and Guardian Garden—two galleries in Tokyo’s Ginza district operated by Recruit Holdings—will host the “Tube Socks Exhibition.” The exhibition is the 2017 edition of the annual “CREATION Project,” this year representing a collaboration involving 167 creative artists and a small company based in Osaka.

Higuchi Knitting Company, located in Hirakata City in Osaka Prefecture, is a producer of socks founded in 1933. Sock production in Japan peaked in the late 1980s and has been in a declining trend ever since. In the face of inexpensive imports from Asia, the Japanese sock industry as a whole is in a severe state. Higuchi Knitting takes maximum advantage of its resilience as a small-scale producer, however, creating made-to-order socks on request from the customer—even responding to orders for a single pair.

The items on exhibition in conjunction with CREATION Project 2017 are based on tube socks developed by Higuchi Knitting on the suggestion of its customers. The company’s tube socks are unusual in having no heel and being of extra-high quality. Those featured in the exhibition are all original articles with knitted designs created by artists from various fields and backgrounds. All items on show will be available for purchase.

The absence of a heel, combined with outstanding elasticity, means that Higuchi Knitting’s tube socks fit all sizes, from children to adults. They make ideal gifts, for Christmas or other occasions, or just for yourself.

Proceeds from the sale of the tube socks will be donated to “Save the Children.” Under that program, funds are used locally in Japan for a number of important purposes: to relieve child poverty, prevent child abuse, support recovery in disaster-affected regions, etc.

We hope many people will take this opportunity to participate in this worthy charity event.

Prices

Purchasing

At the galleries: All socks on exhibit will be available for purchase at the two galleries during the exhibition, and may be taken home. Items that are sold out can be purchased online as described below.

Online: All items on exhibit will also be available for purchase online from November 28 through January 31, 2018. Items sold out at the galleries can be ordered online (made-to-order) between November 28 and December 23; after December 23, only remaining stock will be available for online purchase. All items purchased online will be shipped in February and March 2018.
URL: http://store.ponparemall.com/r-2gallery/ (Japanese language only).

Allocation of Proceeds

Proceeds from this event (after production costs) will be donated to “Save the Children.” The funds will be used in Japan to relieve child poverty, prevent child abuse, support children living in disaster zones, etc.

Sock Production

Higuchi Knitting Company Inc.

CREATION Project

In 1990 CREATION GALLERY G8 and Guardian Garden launched a series of annual charity exhibitions targeted at conveying the fun and enjoyment of art and design to a large number of people. Each year works created on a noncommercial basis by artists with links to the galleries have been put on display and offered for sale, and the proceeds have been donated to various charity causes. In 2009 this annual undertaking was renamed “CREATION Project,” since which time the aim has been to make creative proposals of how our daily lives can be enriched through design. From 2011 through 2015, the project was conducted to support recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami disaster of March 2011, generating donations totaling approximately ¥11.34 million. In 2016 a donation in the amount of ¥1.58 million was made in support of recovery from that year’s series of severe earthquakes in the Kumamoto region. From 2017 the scope of production bases for the project’s featured items was expanded nationwide. Going forward, the CREATION Project will continue as an event to demonstrate Japan’s traditional craftsmanship and industrial capabilities through the power of design.